laying down

verb

present participle of lay down
1
as in enacting
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals

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2
as in declaring
to state clearly and strongly at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments

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3
as in specifying
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment

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4
as in relinquishing
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying down
  1. enacting
  2. declaring
  3. specifying
  4. relinquishing
  5. passing
  6. asserting
  7. defining
  8. rendering
Verb
  • The city council would not be able to vote on enacting the moratorium until December.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026
  • Thursday's administrative agreement was expected to remove obstacles to enacting the earlier deal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of enacting
Verb
  • The buzzy, balls-to-the-wall sci-fi action-thriller shook up a slumbering Cannes earlier this year with a late night slot in Competition, emerging with many already declaring the 160-minute film to be a cult classic.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • Air traffic control recordings captured the moments surrounding the incident, including the pilot declaring a mayday before the aircraft came down in the river.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of declaring
Verb
  • Salgado Araujo was living in the US without legal permission, ICE said, without specifying whether the agents had been looking for him.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
  • The White Pine has multiple options available, including specifying its size and color palette.
    — Adam Williams July 07, New Atlas, 7 July 2026
Definition of specifying
Verb
  • While relinquishing the lead that night, Chapman tied Wilhelm’s record.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • But for Iran, reopening the strait does not mean relinquishing control of it.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
Definition of relinquishing
Verb
  • The current tax system could further incentivize wealthy Americans to hold onto assets longer before passing them down, prolonging the Great Wealth Transfer to an extent, but maximizing gains for the next generation of heirs.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • Romo would retire as the team’s all-time leading passing yardage and touchdowns thrown leader, though his passing yards record would be later broken by Dak Prescott who is also on pace break his touchdowns record next year.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Definition of passing
Verb
  • Before Sajet stepped down, the Smithsonian released a statement asserting that only its secretary and board can make such decisions, not the president.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • The next issue on appeal was whether Alston and Chee should have been awarded their attorney fees incurred in asserting their HUPEPA special motion.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of asserting
Verb
  • French Renaissance design One of the project’s defining characteristics is using French Renaissance architecture, planning documents show.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • Software is increasingly defining the battlefield, according to Meier.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 15 July 2026
Definition of defining
Verb
  • Paramount has argued that the entry of streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple into entertainment has altered the landscape, rendering such antitrust concerns obsolete.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 13 July 2026
  • Historically, the two use different formats and software and have different levels of detail depending on what type of machine is rendering them and whether the rendering is pre-baked or being done in real time.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
Definition of rendering
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

laying by
laying down
laying eyes on
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Cite this Entry

“Laying down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20down. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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